The Emperor Reborn
by TheIronWarrior
Summary: Blood Ravens Space Marines arrive in the midst of Terra during the Second World War to find the Emperor walking among man. Chapter 5 completed. I do not, however, attempt to go into detail about the unification of Mankind.
1. Chapter 1

Screaming oaths of hatred, the SS Sturmtroopers stormed across the slick icy fields of Russia, sub machine guns pinning Soviet soldiers into cover behind entrenchments formed of ice and snow. German artillery rained from the sky as of a tropical storm, relentlessly pounding and unearthing vast systems of entrenchments, torn bodies ripped from the earth and cast into the air in a cataclism of screams and pain. Tracers rounds glowed brightly through the dawn's haze, disappearing into the unknown or absording into flesh, as if bodies were black holes in the center of a vast universe of burning planteoids, hungerly consuming all matter. Burning tanks cast bright beacons of harsh light, unwittingly the focal points of seething battles as men homed unto the light as might insects seeking shelter from bitter cold.

Roaring forward, bodies scattering and joining corpses splayed along the earth, the German soldiers ran with the desperation of demented animals, desperate for a last fleetingly view of freedom. Completely surrounded on all sides by a relentless enemy dedicated to the singular destruction of all opposing life, a desire superseceding all others overcame the soldiers, packing their bodies full of natural stimulants and lending their tortured souls the courage to form a suicidial charge aimed at smashing from their cage of human flesh and bone. Images passed through all minds in a blur, the earth, bodies, tanks, weapons, and blood all blinding into a single maddening vista of war, a beautiful sight should one have viewed it from a dispassionate distance in relative comfort.

Hand grenades soared through the air, their trajectories angled and inexorably falling into trenchs and skidding over the armour of tanks. Detonations resounded, highlighting human figures writhing in agony, wreathed in the flames of harsh retribution. All other sights, sounds, and distractions were momentarily cast aside as the beautiful blossoms of light grew among the Soviet ranks. The moment was suddenly past, fleeting away in the voracious wind and disappearing into the minds of the many parties involved, to be stored away and recalled only after sleep had overtaken, twisting into nightmares that jarred the soul and forced the body to awake, shivering in the cold of memories.

All coherence of discipline and rational thought disappeared as Russian met German in the art of single combat, as fists, elbows, rifle butts, submachine barrels and helmets all became impromptu tools of close quarter engagment, each man losing all recognition of his surroudings as he focused his entire will in the act of overcoming his solitary counterpart. The fighting was often swift and brutal, one or another succumbing into the cold embrace of death, the conquer screaming and casting the vanquished into oblivion. In the expanse of fifteen heart beats the Russia entrenchments were overcome, all thoughts of fellowship cast aside as each man dashed forward across the gore stained fields, desperate for the taste of freedom.

Several hundred yards behind the assault wave rose a second, streaming toward the breach punched into the Soviets lines, the actions of the first waveguaranteeing a brief window of opportunity toesacpe. Rising up in a dark mass, boots sank deep into snow as hundreds dashed for freedom. Salvos of lead poured into soft flesh, hammering many figures into the numbing earth, but for all that fell, hundreds more took their place, streaming through the gap and sprinting to freedom. As the Soviets struggled to reseal the breach, thousands of Germans continued to pour in waves, escaping encirclement and destruction. Red officers roared in anger, recollecting the early months of the war as millions had been killed or captured by German thrusts, and all were desperate to exact vengence onto the enemy.

If any had tempted fate in a moment of inattention and glanced up into the sky, the faint outline of an enormous, sleek aircraft may have graced their sight as if flew over the action surrounding the German rear gaurd, cataloging tactics and equipment of the two forces bitterly engaged in the raging conflict below. A futuristic design, compiled with ultradense metal alloys yet to be discovered in an early time period as such, blazed in a lazy circle over the epicenter of the battle. Emblazoned in bold lettering, hymnals and praises to the Emperor of Mankind proclaimed from all corners of the aircraft of the indefatigible might of the Imperium and the undisputed clarity of faith toward the conquest of the Universe for the glory of Mankind. Heavy weapons bristled threatening, capable of dealing fatal damage at all angles of a approach, were tracking and computing range and ordinance required to destroy any hostile targets. The antiquity and majesty of such a craft would shame any modern pilot into an aweful silence.

Seated on the bare floor in the interior of the aircraft, a massive armoured form sat with its hooded helm tranfixed onto the floor directly at its feet. Writhing in awe, the figure seemed to have come under the grip of a fatal seizure, trembling as if in a limbo, trapped within a disaster confined within its own thoughts and feelings. Psychic power of epic porportions crackled around the figure's helm, white light dancing rythmatically and crackling in undisguised power. With a dexterity seemingly impossible to have acheived of such a massive body, two legs swiveled and pistoned into the air, propelling two hundred kilograms in a leap of pure exhiliration as the emotions pouring through his frame momentarily swept his rational mind away.

Opening clenched eye lids, the Blood Angels librarian roared in pain, a blast ofincrediblypure light ripping through theair and bathing all in a glorious halo of purity, and fell unconscious before the feet of a second warrior. Blown through the air in the face of an incredibly powerful shock wave, the librarian's counterpart quickly regained its balance and ran to his librarian. The marine craddled the librarian's head in a knee, exclaiming softly at the latent power wreathing the librarians body. Never had such power flowed with such clarity through the librarians body. Supernatural, almost to be compared to that of god.

Spittle frothed from the librarian's mouth,tinged with blood and raining onto the metalfloor of the psychic atrium sequesteredwithin the Ultramarine'sthunderhawk. Shallow breathes issued from the marine's mouth,the psychic exertion having temporarily overloaded the marine's limitations and casting him onto the brink of death. Minutes passed and theLibrarian began to breathe more easily. The concerned visage of his acolyte escaped into the haze of the Librarians consciousness, jolting him awake from the black recesses of his inner mind.

Coughing blood, the Blood Angels Librarian stood shakily to his feet, waving off the offered assistance from his protege. Moments passed, and the Librarian's eyes focused onto his surroundings, the wave of psychic purity that had momentarily slashed through his soul having ripped his strength from his body. A repentance of a lifetime of unworthiness had been cleasned in a single shock of power.

"Mathius", the librarian addressed his apprentice, his voicetrembling withemotion and awe, "We stand upon the brink of salvation...the Imperium will experience a new birth..."

The Librarian paused to collect his thoughts. "Mathius, I have opened my mind into the soul of this beleagured planet"

Mathius had stood in silence, but curiosity demanded, "I do not understand, Librarian"

A long paused followed, the Librarian seeming to have ignored Mathius's query, "A backlash of psychic purity subsequently followed and utterly destroyed the meticulous defenses shielding my mind. A-a being of such...purity should not exist in this universe...unless".

Mathius leaned forward, straining to hear his next words.

"...Unless...unless the Emperor of Mankind is among us"

Silence permeated the room, both men awed into silence. The Emperor. The single guiding beacon of faith for a population of trillions. A mythical creature, so to speak. A god incarnate. And from the the Librarian had stated, upon the year of 1942, on holy Terra, the Emperor walked among humans. Minutes passed, and the silence was finally broken.

"For the Emperor," Mathius exclaimed, the complex emotions seething within his breast permitting nothing other than a shocked exclamation.

"For the Emperor," the librarian nodded as a single tear ran down his cheek.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Please comment on my work. As one may have guessed, Space Marines had arrived in the past during the peak of World War II to find the Emperor of Mankind walking upon the earth. Subsequent chapters will go into more detail above the arrival of the Marines and their actions regarding their discovery.


	2. Chapter 2

Motor vechiles roared dejectedly in defeat, streaming in relative safety past the massed ranks of a second complex of entrechments. Interspersed between the hulking masses of Panzer IV tanks road German model half tracks, packed to the rim with freezing, utterly shattered soldiers. Horses bathed the air in gaseous breaths, snorting in defiance to bitter cold and incessant physical hardship. Hundreds of men shuffled on either side of the road way, lacking transportation and forced to walk on foot for dozens of kilometers, slowly freezing in the harsh winter chill. Bodies and vehicle carcasses lay strewn on the both sides of the road, gutted by heavy weapons fire, blown into several fragments, or frozen solid, glued onto the earth as if unwilling to leave the mother nature's embrace.

Several hundred meters to the right of the sourly congested road stood a dark copse of trees, often to be found in the expansive plains of eastern Russia. Formed into a roughly rectangular shape, the mass of foliage extended over three kilometers on the flank of the path, bearing silent testament to the drama unfolding upon its borders. The trees, in and of themselves, appeared lifeless, the beautiful morass of colors of spring and summer having fallen to the deprivations of a chill winter. Nothing shifted to the rythme of falling feet, or the brush of flesh against a loose tree limb. Only tangled shrubbery existed in abundance, providing dense and regular obstacles for any willing to walk within the forest's borders. Crouched behind one such obstruction, a single figure armoured in a dark red thoughtfully surveyed the depressing scene passing before his eyes.

Binoculars raised, the Blood Raven's Scout Sergeant carefully observed and recorded the technology utilized by the retreating figures to his fore. Of exceptional low class compared to the equipment carried and worn around the Scout's body, many vechiles presented large vulnerabilities, vulnerabilities the Space Marines were willing to exploit should the situation arise. The Scout's piercing gaze settled over the figures sprawled around the perimeter of the road, tossed haphazardly to the side and abandoned as worthless scrap.

"Or flesh", the scout sneered, disgusted that such 'warriors' could abandon the bodies of their battle brothers with such ease and nonchalance.

"Months of combat have desensitized their feelings regarding the proper treatment of the deceased, brother", Xavier responded, reading through Scout Sergeant Tursks' thoughts, "Of course, the thought of fighting alongside such cowards would ease my conscience if I were to dispose of their bodies"

Tursk nodded his agreement.Mankind had thankfully progressed from the sensitive and vulnerable nature of its spirit thathad existed during the time he was now stuck within. A singleImperialGuard divisionhad the effective strength to sweepboth armies from the field, even were they armed with the measlyweapons available atthis time. Shifting his attention away from the despicable scene, Turskinquired of Scout Heinrick, "Brother, have you finished recording through the pict feed. Time is of the essence."

A momentary pause, before Heinrick beeped his consent. Relieved to finally turn his gaze away from the cowards to his front, Tursk broadcast to his entire squadron, "Brothers, fall onto my position. We will continue onwards to objective C, our extraction point...Are there any questions, concerns, thoughts?"

As the Blood Raven Scout Marines began easing through the undergrowth, a ruffling was to be heard not fifty yards to the point Marine's fore. Crouching into cover and signaling the rest of the squad to perform likewise, Brother Rafael attempted to peer through the dense growth arrayed in his path. Shifting forward in a mockery of stealth, a platoon sized formation of Soviet soldiers came into Rafaels sight, their object to wait in ambush and slaughter any unwary German soldiers to passthe stark forest. A terse message passed through every Scout's micro bead, and the Scout Marine squad attempted to slither away from the oncoming soldiers, Tursk reminding each of their orders to avoid blood shed if at all possible. Fifty meters later, Scout Xavier had enough time to register a maxim gun pointed in his general direction, before vaulting onto the earth and narrowly avoiding a wild burst of ammuntion. An ambush, and cleverly crafted. But how could they have known?

Unable to escape from the weapon's sight, Xavier's bolter roared and thrusted the two gunners into the air, and head and torso exploding as ripe melons thrown against a brick wall. The rest of the Scout Marine squad engaged, a second Russian platoon having waited patiently for an enemy formation to stumble into its path. Actingwithouthesitation, the two Soviet machinegunners splayed across the snow had fired upon a Scout Marine of the Blood Ravens, forcing upon themselves an engagement that was bound to annihilate their entire platoon. The two were not to be held responsible for inattentiveness, however, as the recent engagements against the German army had frazzled their nerves,and gave them an acute awareness of their surroundings.

"SSSPACE MARINES, AAAATTACK!", Tursk roared, "Run through them and continue onwards, we are at risk of encirclement"

Several dozen yards to the rear of the Scout Marines the first platoon to have been spotted was crashing through the foliage, intent on joining the battle in support of their comrades. Hesitation was an unknown concept within a Space Marine's mind, and all dashed willingly forward into the entrenched foe at their fore. Charging forward as if on wings of fire, Tursk burst into a knot of three Russian soldiers, faces upturned in horror at the revving chainsword held within the Scout Marine's fist. Two slashs disembowed one and tore through the necks of two more, splattering and melting the pure snow in freshly spilt blood.

As the Scout Marine Squad burst through the Russian soldiers, a figure hallowed in white apparated into the midst of the battle. Rafael howled in triumph as his chainsword decapitated the Soviet platoon's leader, only to recoil in shock at the figure to his fore. Raising an a massively muscular arm into the sky, a blinding aura eminated from a energetic orb held within the figure's hand. Lashing outwards, tendrils closed around the throats of all men present, Marine and Russian alike, and lifted them from the earth. Thrashing in the throes of suffocations, Rafael espied a massive and astoundingly beautfiulhuman figure wreathing within the ball of energy raging at his feet. The Emperor.

"FATHERRRR...NOOO!", Rafael gasped, before falling into unconsciousness.


	3. Chapter 3

Blood coated Rafael's features, coagulants within the Space Marine's body having momentarily failed under the indominable psychic onslaught placed upon his body. His head throbbed magnificently, the ache from loss of oxygen and blood driving tendrils of pain into his cranum. A brilliant aura of pure white light continually graced his vision, dancing and writhing in a complex ritual of dementia, without discernible pattern. As time progressed, his vision began to recuperate, and he could spot several distinct human forms gesticulating over his fall body.

As a faint groan issued from his lips, several submachineguns were leveled downwards. A beautiful language momentarily flowed through Rafaels ears, at complete odds with the Low Gothic spoken between himself and his Battle Brothers. After a moment of confusion Rafael realized the men were conversing in a strange langauge, doubtlessly long forgot in the fortieth Millenium. For a corner of his vision, Rafael watched asa harshly braying officer approached the circle of soldiers surrounding Rafaels battered form, all backing unconsciously away fromt the officer's wrath.

The officer began to chasten the soldiers for their hostility toward the fallen Space Marine; their orders were to treat theMarine carefully for any wounds, not to provoke them into aggressive action. Unfortunately, Rafael was unable to interpret the officer's intent, and roared in battle lust. Stricking aggressively, all pain fled Rafael's body as he vaulted to his feet, fists ripping into heads, limbs, stomachs, and several unpleasant, sensitive areas of the male physique.

Within moments three soldiers were unconscious at Rafael's feet. The Soviet officer screamed in anger and fear, a compact pistol gripped in his right hand instantly leveled a Rafael's forehead. Five meteres separated Space Marine and Soviet officer. Fuming overthe stupidity of his fellow soldiers, disoriented, and astounded by the Space Marine's disposal of three men within moments, orders were cast to the winds and the pistol barked in rapid succession, and entire clip of ammunition splashing into Rafael's armour. All fell harmlessly onto the earth, and Rafael grinned mockingly at his counterpart. In three strides the Space Marine crushed every bone within the officer'spistol hand, screams of agony and fear resounding through the forest.The Scout Marine appeared to the officer as death incarnate, the face an angry visage covered in the blood of the slaughtered.

"BROTHER RAFAEL,CEASE IMMEDIATELY", and spinning on his leg Rafael espied Scout Sergeant Tursk, a group of Soviet soldiers and the remainder of the Blood Ravens Scout squad intermingled to his rear standing not ten meters away.

The Soviet officer was haphazardly thrown into the snow, a pathetic whimpering issuing from his fallen form. Relieved to find his Battle Brothers in relative safety, Rafael suspiciously eyed the mass of Soviet soldiers surrounding his squad members.

"Rafael, there is much to be learned yet of the current situation", Tursk continued, "these men you attacked were overseeing your well being, and I feel your actions were unprovocked." Rafael stared in confoundment at his squad leader, the change in his comportment alerting Rafael to something amiss. Unprovocked? The enemies of the Emperor were never regarded as having the privilege of provocation before death. Why were his Battle Brothers protecting such pitiful soldiers? As Rafael's anger compounded under the harsh stares of his comrades, a rustling to Rafael's left beget a massively muscled figure walking toward the small circle of Space Marines and Soviet soldiers. Standing well over two meters tall, the figure sent a shock of recognition through Rafael's body. Roughly the same size and possessing the correct musculature of the figure he had spied in a halo of light surrounding his attacker not hours before, the rest paided the arrival no heed. As the figure approached, Rafael noticed green hued eyes staring from a face of intense concentration, long locks of dark curly hair following over the officer's shoulders. Completing unprofessional, and unfitting, Rafael presumed.

Addressing both Marine and Soviet, the burly officer ordered,"Leave Brother Rafael and I in peace, so that I may appraise him of the situation"

To the bewilderment of Rafael, all, including the Scout Marines, shuffled away to arrive at a respectful distance from the Scout Marine and the Soviet leader. Left in uncomfortable silence, Soviet and Scout Marine stared at each other for several moments, before the Marine interjected the silence with a single blunt statement. Realizing what must have happened, Rafael roared in anger.

"Release my brothers from their mental bondage, or your death will arrive imminently. I know you bend their wills against me"

"Young Rafael, you are freeof my mental bondage by my will alone...your paltry threats have no import over me.", the Soviet officer retorted calmly, glaring curiously at the massive figure glowering over him with malignant intent.

Rafael remained silent, rage at the consignment of his Brothers to such a being's will giving his features an infuriating tone.

The Soviet continued, "If you will allow, I wish to inquire of you a curiosity of mine concerning the statement you made not moments before you fell into unconsciouness"

Rafael nodded in understanding, remembering his exclamation as he caste his gaze over his tormentor. "A simple mistake, doubtlessly caused by the black ink of unconsciousness flowing over my senses. I regret my exclamation, and wish to inform you my Great Father, the Emperor, would not behave in such to manner to his most loyal subjects. "

The Soviet nodded, expecting as much"And yet, I seem to have similar characteristics to this Emperor you so love and glorify, one that you pay homage to out of dutiful respect. Is that not so? Has my power no familiarity?"

"Your mastery of the warp is unmitigated", Rafael responded, "Your intentions, however, are in doubt. What purpose have you in the possession of my Battle Brothers, and this pointless interrogation? You will not gain anything from interrogating me, and I will not submit to your false magicks, 'Emperor'. "

Analysing the armoured warrior, a spark of recognition alighted within the Soviet's eyes. Brother Rafael was the Marine he had forseen in his visions, and the one he had insured he would meet in this dreary forest of eastern Russia.

"If you may believe, I have seen you and your kind in a vision, a recurring vision that has plagued my sleep for years on end. Vast legions of warriors heed my every command, dying in the millions for the betterment of humanity. I see myself become figurehead of all humanity, all forms of abasement cast at my feet as I lead my race into a future of peace and contentment. Warriors such as yourself conquer the galaxy in a tide of bloodshed and bitter conflict.

As the Soviet continued, Rafael was shocked to hear such an accurate descripition of what he felt to be the Horus Heresy.

"My powers of foresight, an art lost to vast majority humanity over the millenia, have foretold all that is to become of myself and my surroundings. I have intricate knowledge of all that is to be,and all that could be. My existence rests on circumstance: I am everywhere at once, subtly influencing the course of history to coincide with what in my mind I feel to be the best course of continuation. I am the Emperor of avast empire, the General in the fore of great conflicts, the focal point of all influetial activities in the world.

Looking into your eyes and soul, young Rafael, I feel my physical essence flowing through your body. You, young Rafael, carry a fragment of my essence. Your, young Rafael, are my son."

As the Soviet officer spoke, tears began to stream down Rafael's cheeks. Realization dawned. Casting himself at the Soviet's feet, Rafael exclaimed, "It is you, the God Emperor, flesh and blood, walking among mortals. I force myself to accept the evidence that you are murdered, as you were, and not standing before my very eyes"

In confusion, the Soviet officer bade Rafael to rise. "Tell me, young Warrior, you say I am murdered? What place do you come from, and how do you know of my demise? Not even I have forseen such as this, a rarity and probably the reason for my death. Heed me Rafael, what of this?"

Collecting his thoughts, Rafael explained "You, Blessed Emperor, are to become the soul of all mankind, your actions alone insuring that humanity survives in a dark, xenos ridden future. In the year 231 M42., your light is abruptly extinguished, the beacon of hope for all humanity vanished instantenously across the galaxy, sending the Imperium into turmoil. Humanity is quickly divided into hundreds of thousands of warring states, isolated from the rest of humanity for all eternity. The human race stands on the brink of extinction, and my comrades and I have traveled into the past to seek you out, before our spieces is utterly eradicated."

As Rafael continued, the Emperor was endowed with a new depth of understanding, his visions finally clarified through Rafael's words. Understanding immediately his role to play and the reason for the arrival of these armoured Warriors had come, the Emperor placed his hand on Rafael's shoulder plate, halting his speech.

Before the Emperor could continue, the roar of a descending aircraft echoed through the forest. Looking upwards, the Emperor and Rafael caught side of a Blood Raven's thunderhawk descending rapidly. As the thunderhawk touched the earth, a squad of Tactical Marines vaulted from the ramp, bolters held at the ready. Shells exploded through the air as all caught sight of the cowering Russian soldiers. Before any shells could impact, the Soviet officer became immersed within a ball of roiling white energy. Shells exploded in mid air, the rest ricocheting off into the distance. All were unharmed.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE YOU FOOLS", Librarian Helios roared, and sprinted down the ramp of the thunderhawk. "THE EMPEROR OF MANKIND IS IN YOUR PRESENCE, AND YOU WISH TOBEAR ARMS IN HIS PRESENCE?"

Apparently following orders from the Chapter Master, which stated any extraterrestrial forces to spot the Marines were to be slaughtered, the Marine Squad had opened fire, totally unaware of the Emperor's divine light within their presence. Striding forward, Librarian Helios calming prostrated himself before the Emperor.

"My Lord, forgive me and the men who have committed such acts in your presence. We have much to speak concerning ourfuture, and I calmly request we leave the planet...The German army is sure to investigate such a disturbance momentarily"

The Emperor stared in silence, before finally nodding to the Librarian. "Very well, Librarian Helios". Before continuing, the Emperor raise his palm, flickering witchlight playing between his fingers. In moments every Russian soldier within the vicinity fell unconscious, their minds completely wiped of all the events that had occured around them. The Scout Marines were released from bondage, staring in bewilderment at their surroundings.

"There is much I would inform you of as well", the Emperor replied, and walked past the awestuck Space Marines humbled at his feet. In seconds the Space Marines escaped the surface, leaving the strewn bodies of dozens of dazed Soviet soldiers.


	4. Chapter 4

Ascending into the infinitismal depths of space, the Emperor of Mankind surveyed the earth from a new perspective. Splotchs of green, as of moss clinging onto rocks strewed through a rapidly flowing stream, graced his vision. Bleak and desolate fields of ice suffocated both poles, memories of bitter conflict, death, loss, and treachery birthed into the Emperor's mind as his gaze swept over the Soviet Union. A roiling sea of emotions, invisible to all but those blessed with the Emperor's sight, swept over the continents, colliding and conglomerating into voracious waves of raw emotion and energy, its essence fed and bleed through the human souls from which it had been birthed.

On either side stood Librarian Helios and Scout Sergeant Tursk, as the three were engaged in conversation concerning the events that had transpired not minutes before. Seemlingly to have grown a meter in stature, the Emperor effectively towered over his counterparts, calmly digesting the Librarian's dire forebodings of the future yet to have passed. Humanity stood on the brink of a gradually softening precipice, the moral foundations on which it had stood for millenia having eroded into nonexistance. Isolated, individual systems were visited by a plethora of hostile xenos, either spawned from the insanity of a human pysche or birthed from the malignant and violent forces of the universe.

As the Emperor came to understand, his power and soul were to become centrifugal to the survival of mankind. Trillions were subservient to his power, faith and hope empowering his soul in the warp into ever greater plateaus of power and influence. Entombed in a Golden throne, emplaced inside of mechanism prolonging his life, the Emperor strived to unite humanity of his visions.

The powers of the warp had as yet failed to penetrate the essence of society in the year of 942. M1, the absense of any latent psykers barring the daemonic from entering into the material realm. If one may believe, the warp as of that time was unmarred and unsullied by the blantantly curropt daemons of Chaos...Khorne, Tzeentch, and Nurgle were at the moment consolidating their power, yet to born into the immaterial realm. Unbelievable, thata solitary planet of three billion contained the seed of the Imperium of Man, to sacred and to haloed in the distant future as the seed of the dominate species in the universe. All would be for naught...

"Librarian Helios, your presence in our realm. How came this to pass?", the Emperor inquired of the Blood Ravens Commandant.

The Librarian bowed in acknowledgement of the Emperor's query, "Blessed, the circumstances in which our ship arrived into this realm are vague, in the least. Your light, eminence, had vanished as our transport flowed through Immaterium, en route into the Eye Terror. Unguided, the _Upholder of Retribution _was cast as a blind cripple in the eye of a tempest in the warp, our navigator, a mutant psyker capable of guiding ships through the warp in relation to your divine guidance, exploded as if pierced by a flurry of bolter shells. Lost, helpless, stranded, our ship drifting in the warp for decades, Marines slowly falling into dementia.

As the ship's captain and myself debated on how to remedy our dire situation, the _Upholder of Retribution _was inexplicably cast out of the Immaterium, to arrive in what felt to our souls the center of the Eye Terror. Unfortunately, our hearts had fallen into a deception, as we recognized our surrounds in the light of reality...Holy Terra, planet Earth, the seat of the Emperor. Chaos reigned, the entire surfaced coated in the blood and viscera of the slain. The butchered floated in rivers of bodily fluid, slowly subsuming into the malignant beast that had birthed from the very substance of the planet. And, Blessed, issuing from the Throne Room, a host of the daemonic poured unto the surface. Chained upon an altar of unfathomable and illogical proportions, the husk of a sacrifice basked in the light of a host of daemon spawn. The deformed, contorted body, Blessed..."

Tears fell as a torrential rain fell onto the floor, the attention of all present in the Thunderhawk turned upwards onto the Librarian.

"Continue, Librarian Helios. I must know of my fate", the Emperor calmly stated, resting a gauntlet on the Marine's shoulder.

Looking into the Emperor's divine visage of power, the Librarian continued, "Lord, your figure lay chained, tormented materially and immaterially beyond all sanity. As our augurs focused onto your butchered corpse, your sightless eyes fell upon us, reality contorted to such an extent that the_ Upholder of Retribution_ hovered not a kilometer over the planetary surface. From your Blessed lips issued a silent bidding, its potency only felt upon the gifted, a request to alter the events that had transpired that day. As the _Retribution_ fled the surface, our craft wallowed, bathed in an aura of divine light, and vanished from the Imperium for all eternity...Blessed, we believe we are here in permanence, and we come to pledge ourselves to your command."

As the Librarian concluded, every Marine in turn swore his allegiance, falling to both knees in humility before the Emperor's divine presence. As all were bade to arise, the Emperor, overcome in emotion, proclaimed, "Servants of the Emperor, our great loss shall be remedied forevermore. From this day hence, I dedicate myself to the betterment of Mankind, for all eternity, so that our species, not that of vile xenos, shall dominate this galaxy under the divine majesty of the Emperor's light."

As the Emperor spoke, the Blood Raven's Thunderhawk banked into the cavernous launch bay of the _Upholder of Retribution,_ and came to rest, before the feet of an entire Company of Blood Ravens Space Marines, prostrated onto the floor before the Emperor's majesty. Gazing over the assemblage at his feet, the Emperor smiled. With such a force at my disposal, much will favor my ascendancy, the Emperor thought, and descended the Thunderhawk into the future.

**CONCLUSION**

**Faithful readers, the next Chapter will contain violent action, as the Emperor and the Blood Raven began their Holy Crusade to unite humanity under the banner of the Emperor. I find myself to be a slow writer, and currently I write from my office at work, publishing a Chapter a day. What do you feel about the story at the present, and how could I improve upon it? Is it fine how it is? COMMENT AWAY, I WRITE ONLY FOR YOUR FEEDBACK!**

**PS. Sorry for the relatively short chapter, but my head aches and my boredom is hindering my writing as I sit in my office doing absolutly nothing. **

**TheIronWarrior**


	5. Chapter 5

A solitary formation of Russian armoured vechiles attempted evasion, artillery raining from the sky, falling from the heavens in an incessant, rythmatic series of explosions. Screams of agony resounded sporadically, Soviet soldiers crouching on the roofs of the armour, disembowled, incapacitated, decapitated, clothe failing to shield minor scraps, as well as mutilating shards of shrapnel. Armour stood ablaze, corpses aflame, or writhing in agony, performing a ritualistic death dance of unfathomable pain.

As figures were spotted, gesticulating ordersover scorched barrels portruding from the depths of a dense wood, the Soviet tanks commenced a devistating bombardment, utterly destroying and disabling an entire battery of German artillery. Panic pouring in palpable waves through entrenchments, German soldiers vaulting from the earth and dashing into the forest, falling in dozens asSoviet barrels angled ontothe upper extremities of the treeline, raining a lethal hail of bark onto the heads of theretreating soldiers. Success seemed apparent for the Soviets, as infantry dashed from the hulls of half tracks, T-34s, and a motley assortment oflendleased vechiles from the UnitedStates.

Adrenline coursing through veins, ovewhelming all rational thoughts, fueled the retreating soldiers.Indescriminscepropelled soldiers into the air, blood seeping through wounds, snow turning into its base form as hot, seething blood made contact with the earth. Weapons were discarded, forming a trial in which the Soviet soldiers willingly pursued. Corpses were intermingled among the brush and brambles, grotesquely splayed across the earth. Minutes passed, Soviet officers barking orders to cut pursuit, content in consolidating their rapid advance. Kilometers to the column's rear, German resistance proved unassailable to all Russian incursions, leaving the armoured column isolated, having forced their way a narrow crack within the German's outer defenses. Officers debated whether to continue and disrupt German activity in the rear, or retreat into the relative safety and comfort of allied soldiers.

As debate commenced among the Soviet leadership, two squads of Imperial Space Marines leveled weapons, intentions unquestionable as targets were efficiently identified and given threat priorities. The command to commence fire, while unneccessary, preceded an unprecedented output of fire from such a compact force, as missiles, plasma weapons, heavy bolters, and incinerators roared in satisfaction, obliterating near the entirety of the Soviet force in a single volley. Infantry, streaming from the pursuit in the forest, balked in shock, half their number falling victim to heavy weapons fire in seconds. Roaring in anger, a Soviet Commissar raised his pistol and fired off several negligible shots into the source of his fury, bellowing for men to follow his example. An entire Soviet platoon, having dashed through the forest at the sound of weapons fire, opened as one on the Space Marines as they began to remorselessly advance from beneath the shadows of the trees.

The Soviet soldiers, the sight of their tormentors freezing them into the earth, screamed in terror as a squad of Space Marines charged into their midst. Regretfully, Brother Sergeant Korne drove his chainsword into the throat of the enemy commissar, rotary teeth slicing into the meat of his adversary. In a swift motion, the Sergeant bodily lifted the gurgling Commissar, bowling over three Soviet soldiers having raised their rifles in defiance. All fell onto the earth, writhing in desperation to escape from flailing limbs, as Korne's chainsword slashed into the packet of entangled bodies, rending into flesh, packets of meat slapping onto the earth and flecking onto the Sergeant's armour.

Attempting to flee, bolts blewsoldiers into a component body parts,shattered skulls and fountained rivers of blood onto the earth, as if to later collect indiviudal pieces for an anatomy class.A heavy machine gun strafed through the embattled marines, armour oblivious as Soviet soldiers were slaughtered under fire from their comrades. The source, a disabled but operational T-34, exploded into shards of superheated metal as a plasma rifle was brought to bear, wreathing the crew in a conflagoration of superheated plasma. Having obliviated the majority of hostile Soviets, Sergeant Korne mockingly bowed to the immolated crew at rest inside the Soviet tank.

Sifting through the plethora of damaged and vechiles ablaze, the Marines searched for survivors in which to give a merciful execution. Sergeant Korne approached what to his eyes served as a command vechile, and blindly drove his arm into the top hatch of the T-34 command tank. Seizing onto a elusive limb, the Soviet Force Commander was hauled from the interior, knocked unconscious as his head collided with the armoured encasement surrounding the hatch. Sergeant Korne efficiently tore the Soviet's head from his shoulders, the snap of vertebrae and tissue attracting the attention of the T-34s surviving crew. Korne's bolter roared, embedding into a Soviet's chest and dissolving his heart. The corpse slithered back inside the tank. A single frag grenade followed in pursuit, an angry hornet obedient to the hive mind's will, imploding human tissue as the concussion resounded inside the cramped interior.

The task at hand beaconed, Korne sawing off the brain case and sifting the soft, gelatinous substance between his gauntleted fingers. Handfuls splashed into the Space Marine's ortifice, easing slowly down the Marines throat,an unpleasant sensation,but to acheive his desired objective, the deed continued. Korne, as all SpaceMarines,posssessed the ability to consume the brain matter of foreign entities, in which to delve into the thoughts and memories of the deceased individual. Early childhood, memories of graduations, honors, awards, loves, and gifts were disregarded, only thoughts and information relevant to the upcoming Soviet offensive clearly protracted into Korne's mind.

The objective accomplished, Sergeant Korne rallied the Space Marine task force and strode into the forest, disappearing into the maw of a Thunderhawk secured not fifty meters into the trees. Ascending into the sky, a hundred souls were extinguished, wallowing around the corpses of the deceased.

Librarian Helios, Captian Kreiger, and The Emperor stood in conference over the polished, antique briefing room, absorbed in matters of utmost importance concerning world politics. Below Captain Kreiger's outstretched fingers, stood a linear map of Holy Terra, unmarred by the tiered edifices present in the year 41,000, constructs that had effectively choked the earth in a steel grasp. Such natural beauty, a pearl of diverse, mutihued life forms, the nourishment to the dominate, enlightened spieces of the universe, mankind. Under the shadow of Kreiger's gauntlet stood the German Third Reich, definantly standing against the Allied powers of the United States, Great Britian, and the Soviet Union.

"Blessed, pardon my intrusion into your musing", Captain Kreiger bowed, "but your agreement of support to the Third Reich has come at a most inopportune moment. The Soviet Union, a superpower in land mass and military strength, has halted German incursions into its territories, counterattacks slowly grinding the German military into a reluctant retreat. Great Britian has eliminated the German ambitions of conquest within the British Isles, the British air force effectively dominating the skies over their territories. And, Blessed, the United States of America has exploded into industrial mobilization, production overtaking all competing nations on the planet. Blessed, all of these powers are foes to the Soviet Union, are they not?"

The Emperor of Mankind achnowledged Captain Kreiger's logical insight. "Captain Kreiger, if you may accept, my abilities of foresight have granted me trillions of possible futures, all of which I have scrutinized with a rapidity and thought to which none other can match. My course of action, I feel, is to best of my knowledge, the most proper, as you will come to see. Iunderstand your greivances, as your logic as of yet has proved infalable. Have faith, Brother Captain...all will come pass according to plan."

"Forgive me, Blessed", Kreiger bowing to the floor in supplication to the Emperor's will, "It is preto doubt your actions. I have, however, captained a vessel of the Blood Raven's Space Marines for over a century and a half, experiencing matters such as those present on Holy Terra at the moment. My senses have told me that our course of action is as of yet incorrect. However, Blessed, your powers far supersecede my own, and I acknowledge your decision."

The Emperor beamed at his faithful servant, "Captain, accepting all words law is but inviting the advent of ignorance, a moral plague that has afflicted our blessed homeworld for much too long. To alleviate your doubts, permit me to project a summary of my course of action. As your arrival onto the planet came into my knowledge, an event in which I had only partially predicted, if you may understand such meaning, drastically altered my foresight, completely construing the future into the form in which I see at present. If you may acknowledge,Ihave always planned on annihilating the Soviet Union, the effects of Communism over a people in my thoughts were composed of ignorance and brutal repression.

However, your arrival has made the destruction of the Soviet Union imminent...the Soviet Union represents the antithesis of my vision of Mankind, and with the power to effect such change forcefully as well as subtly, I plan to end the matter now. The conquest of the Soviet Union by the German military will unite all of Europeunder a single banner, a banner under which individual freedom is to be more cherished. This unity will make seizing the reigns of powerfrom Europe all the more simple and agreeable. With my divine powers, I will subtly influence all minds to eagerly join my cause.

In my final act, under the shadow of my world superpower, I shall propose alliances to the rest of thecivilized world, promising unity and equality, regardless of race, religion,and physical appearance. Individual freedom will be broadcast throughout the planet, filling the hearts of the masses with a longing to free themselves of the constraints of their oppressive governments or societies, flocking to my banner in waves. The power of earth shall be unprecedented. In some cases, subtle politiking will insure such a tranformation,I can assure you. In many cases, I seewe will be forced to mobilize for war. However, world unity will come to pass, our great Crusade of Belief will unite Mankind under my leadership."

The breifing room fell into silence. After moments of awed silence, The Emperor smiled once again upon his servants, "Captain Kreiger, if you may enlighten us so, how do you propose we destroy the Soviet Union?"


End file.
